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The prognostic and biology of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes in the immunotherapy of cancer

British Journal of Cancer volume 129, pages 1041–1049 (2023)Cite this article

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Abstract

Tumour immunotherapy has achieved remarkable clinical success in many different types of cancer in the past two decades. The outcome of immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer patients has been linked to the quality and magnitude of T cell, NK cell, and more recently, B cell within the tumour microenvironment, suggesting that the immune landscape of a tumour is highly connected to patient response and prognosis. It is critical to understanding tumour immune microenvironments for identifying immune modifiers of cancer progression and developing cancer immunotherapies. The infiltration of solid tumours by immune cells with anti-tumour activity is both a strong prognostic factor and a therapeutic goal. Recent approaches and applications of new technologies, especially single-cell mRNA analysis in dissecting tumour microenvironments have brought important insights into the biology of tumour-infiltrating immune cells, revealed a remarkable degree of cellular heterogeneity and distinct patterns of immune response. In this review, we will discuss recent advances in the understanding of tumour infiltrated lymphocytes, their prognostic benefit, and predictive value for immunotherapy.

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Fig. 1: The lymphocytes and their functional molecules in TME.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Yanbin Liu, Zhenjiang Liu.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Grit Biotechnology Ltd., Building 25, Area C, Sangtian Island Biological Industrial Park, Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China

    Yanbin Liu

  2. Grit Biotechnology Ltd., Building 24, 388 Shengrong Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China

    Zhenjiang Liu, Yixiao Yang, Jun Cui, Jingwei Sun & Yarong Liu

Authors
  1. Yanbin Liu
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  2. Zhenjiang Liu
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  4. Jun Cui
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  6. Yarong Liu
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Contributions

Yarong Liu, Yanbin Liu and Zhenjiang Liu conceptualised the review. Yanbin Liu and Zhenjiang Liu contributed to writing early drafts of the paper. Jun Cui, Jingwei Sun and Yixiao Yang made substantial contributions to discussion of content of the review and edited the manuscript before submission. Yarong Liu, Jun Cui, Jingwei Sun, Yanbin Liu, Zhenjiang Liu and Yixiao Yang revised and approved the final version.

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Liu, Y., Liu, Z., Yang, Y. et al. The prognostic and biology of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes in the immunotherapy of cancer. Br J Cancer 129, 1041–1049 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41416-023-02321-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41416-023-02321-y

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